Terra State approves FY 2014 budget

Jun. 27, 2013

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Staff writer

FREMONT — Cuts to Terra State Community College’s fiscal year 2014 budget totaled more than $760,000, with the college basing its decision on an anticipated enrollment decline of 5 percent.

The Terra board of trustees approved the FY 2014 budget, which also includes an additional $250,000 from reserves for marketing purposes, at its meeting Wednesday.

Terra President Jerome Webster said the college will look at whether it needs to cut any faculty or staff positions this fall, once it gets a clearer picture on its overall enrollment numbers. He said the budget could be amended to reflect higher or lower-than-anticipated enrollment numbers, with the college prepared to reduce overall revenue by 8 percent.

He stressed the college does not want to make any cuts it doesn’t have to make, and noted Terra’s full-time equivalent enrollment numbers had improved in June compared to May.

There have been no decisions made yet on any specific faculty or staff reductions, Webster said.

“We are looking at as minimal an impact as possible,” he said Wednesday.

Webster said the June FTE enrollment numbers were down 3.7 percent compared to June 2012, with May’s year-over-year FTE totals down 12 percent.

He said the college typically experienced its largest student capture rate in July and August, when students realize they need to register for fall classes.

The college will use the $250,000 from reserves for branding, promotion, signage and marketing purposes related to the Vision 2016 Strategic Plan, said Terra treasurer Randy McCullough.

“Marketing is key. Name recognition is key in any business,” McCullough said.

Webster said the $250,000 for marketing was a conservative figure and told the board Terra needed to stretch its dollars based on the money available.

Board President Carl Koebel said the college needed to do everything it could to get high school students on campus and let them see what Terra had to offer in terms of academic programs and overall atmosphere.